no. 7.220 |
Colorado Gardening: Challenge to Newcomers
by J.E. Klett and J.R. Feucht1Quick Facts...
- Low humidity, fluctuating temperatures, heavy calcareous soils and drying winds often restrict plant growth more than low temperatures.
- Selecting plants that tolerate our soil and climatic conditions is key to Colorado Gardening.
- Colorado grows excellent vegetables and lawns.
- Gardeners who are patient, know how to select plants that will do well, and manipulate the soil and microclimate, will be amply rewarded.
Gardening in Colorado can be challenging. The average elevation of the
state is 6,800 feet above sea-level. Three-fourths of the nations
land above 10,000 feet is within its borders. Due to the high elevation,
sunlight is frequently of high intensity and the humidity generally is
low. These features, along with rapid and extreme weather changes and
frequently poor soil conditions, make for challenges in growing plants.
Newcomer's Dilemma
Newcomers to Colorado often have trouble getting plants to survive let
alone thrive. More often than not, they previously Gardened where you
stick a plant in the ground and it grows. Typically, those from
northern states such as Minnesota or Michigan are puzzled why certain
trees that did well for them there but do poorly in Colorado.
However, low temperature due to northern latitudes is not the only factor
that determines plant survival in Colorado, for rarely is extreme cold
the limiting plant growth factor in Colorado. Combinations of low humidity,
drying winds and physical properties of the soil influence how well plants
perform here.
Soil Properties
Many of our population centers are on heavy, clay soil. These soils have
poor aeration that limits root growth. Thus the ability of plants to replenish
water loss brought about by low humidity and prevailing winds is limited.
Adding more water to such soils further complicates the problem because
the water that is added reduces the amount of air in the soil and causes
oxygen starvation to the roots. Little can be done to modify humidity
and wind, so the obvious solution is to improve the soil.
High soil pH can also negatively affect plant growth. Basically, pH can
be described as the measure of acidity or alkalinity of soil. pH is measured
on a scale of 1 to 14 where 7, which is neutral, is the optimal level
for most plants. Numbers lower than 7 are considered acidic and numbers
higher than 7 are considered alkaline or calcareous (high in calcium carbonate).
Garden soils in Colorado that have never had amendments added may have
a pH value of up to 8.5, which is higher than most plants can tolerate
especially acid-loving plants such as rhododendrons.
Why Not Rhododendrons?
Newcomers, particularly those from coastal states such as California,
Oregon, New York and the Carolinas, frequently express surprise and disappointment
in the lack of broad-leafed evergreen plants such as mountain laurel,
rhododendron, pittosporum and similar plants. The highly calcareous soils
are partly responsible for this and the rapid changes in our winter temperatures.
However, the primary limiting factors are the low humidity, drying winds
and intense winter sunlight.
Mountain laurel, rhododendrons and similar types of plants can grow in
Colorado where the soils are carefully amended to make them more acid
and where the plants are protected from winter wind and sun. Even broadleaved
evergreens that can tolerate the more alkaline soils and lower humidity,
such as wintercreeper, English ivy, kinnikinnick and Oregon grape holly,
will perform best in a shaded north or east exposure.
Salt Accumulation
Soil modification or amendment is a problem in our semiarid, highly alkaline
soils. Organic matter, if added in large amounts all at once, can provide
for a more porous soil. However, this practice can lead to the accumulation
of natural, soluble salts. Unless the soil is porous so that salts can
be leached away with water, the salts tend to accumulate in the amended
soil layer. The soluble salts may remain in the organic matter much like
water remains in a sponge. Rapid evaporation may concentrate the salts
in the root zone, where they can injure plant roots.
A solution to this problem is to slowly, over a period of years, improve
the soil tilth. Tilth refers to the physical properties of soil which
make it able to support plant growth. An alternative to leaching the salts
and improving the soil tilth is to choose plants that are more tolerant
to saline soil conditions. For instance, instead of planting a pine knowing
that it would do poorly under high salt conditions, one may have to settle
for a juniper. Look to Colorado native plants native to your life zone
and soil conditions for more options.
For more information on native plants see fact sheets
7.421, Native Trees for Colorado Landscapes;
7.422, Native Shrubs for Colorado Landscapes; and
7.423. Trees and Shrubs for Mountain Areas.
Iron Problems
The name Colorado comes from the Spanish words color rojo,
meaning color red, referring to the dominant red soils. The red color
is due to high amounts of iron in the soil. Yet, a yellowing condition
in certain plants, known as iron chlorosis, is brought about by an iron
deficiency in the plant. Colorados highly calcareous soils tie up
the iron in a form unavailable to the plant.
Trees with high iron requirements such as pin oak, silver maple and Washington
hawthorn perform poorly in Colorados calcareous soils.
Making iron more available is not easy and usually not economical. Adding
available forms of iron such as iron sulfate to the soil is, at best,
a temporary measure. Normal chemical reactions in the soil will quickly
cause much of the added iron to become unavailable. The best alternative
is to select plants tolerant of Colorados alkaline soil. Instead
of pin oak, choose bur oak or Norway maple instead of silver maple, etc.
Untimely Snows
On the Front Range, early, heavy, wet snows in the autumn occur about
once every five years. Trees, shrubs and perennials are caught in full
leaf or just at the peak of bloom. These limb-breaker storms
cause severe natural pruning that leaves permanent scars and tends to
keep trees to smaller-than-normal size.
Following such a storm, tree diseases tend to increase because of raised
levels of plant stress. To minimize damage, choose less brittle trees
such as lindens, oaks and conifers instead of silver maple, Siberian elm
and willow. This, however, brings about another dilemma. The less brittle
ones are also the slower-growing ones.
Heavy, wet snows on the other end of winter can also be a problem. Late
spring snows can come quickly and be very deep. Even trees that have not
leafed out yet can succumb to the excessive weight of too much snow. Broken
limbs and central leaders can cause problems for trees for many years
down the road.
What About Freezes?
Occasionally, Colorado will experience frosts when plants arent
ready to cope with them. It is not uncommon for mountain communities to
have an already short growing season interrupted by a killing frost.
In Leadville with an elevation of 10,177 feet and whose average growing
season is about 25 days (compared with over 150 in many areas on the plains),
a frost may occur in July. Yet, with careful selection of plants, even
Leadville can flaunt colorful Garden flowers, vegetables and hardy trees
and shrubs.
Table 1 lists average frost-free periods for selected cities at several
elevations in Colorado. While growing seasons tend to be shorter at higher
elevations, use caution when interpreting this table. Note that some higher
elevations have a longer season than lower elevations. Compare, for instance,
the average growing seasons of Dillon, elevation 9,800 feet with that
of Fraser, elevation 8,560 feet. Fraser is lower than Dillon, but they
average a shorter growing season. A primary reason is air drainage; Fraser
has shorter seasons because of cold air drainage from surrounding mountains.
The same air drainage phenomenon can make a difference in the location
of a Garden. Gardens in areas where cold air is trapped may have earlier
frost kill than Gardens even a short distance away. Cold air may be trapped
by any obstruction on the down-slope side of a Garden, such as a hedge,
wall or solid fence. To avoid early cold injury to Gardens, do not put
hedges, fences and other landscape features where they may obstruct the
flow of air.
The real killers, however, are the infrequent but rapid changes from
warm, balmy weather to cold, subzero temperatures. In 1949, a 90 degree
F change was recorded near Fort Collins in less than 24 hours. The change
from 50 degrees F to -40 degrees F resulted in the ear-popping fracture
of entire trees and virtually wiped out the sour cherry industry. On October
19, 1969, Denver experienced a temperature drop to -3 degrees F, which
was preceded by balmy 85 degree weather. Similar rapid temperature changes
occurred on September 17, 1971, and October 28, 1991 as well.
Such freeze injury leaves crippling marks on trees and shrubs for years
and serves to eliminate many plants with borderline hardiness. Most severely
injured in such freezes are the lush, rapid-growing trees because they
have a higher internal moisture content than the slower-growing, more
solid wood species. To help reduce injuries from such sudden temperature
changes, gradually reduce water in late summer and avoid late applications
of fertilizers high in nitrogen.
Table 1: Elevation and average growing season for selected Colorado cities. | ||
Location | Elevation | Average Frost-Free Days |
---|---|---|
Alamosa | 7,536 | 95 |
Aspen | 7,913 | 88 |
Bailey | 7,733 | 82 |
Boulder | 5,444 | 156 |
Burlington | 4,167 | 153 |
Center | 7,668 | 96 |
Colorado Springs | 6,090 | 152 |
Craig | 6,247 | 98 |
Crested Butte | 8,855 | 37 |
Denver | 5,280 | 155 |
Dillon | 9,800 | 25 |
Durango | 6,554 | 110 |
Eagle | 6,497 | 86 |
Fort Collins | 5,004 | 142 |
Fraser | 8,560 | 9 |
Grand Juction | 4,597 | 183 |
Gunnison | 7,694 | 62 |
Idaho Springs | 7,569 | 93 |
Leadville | 10,177 | 26 |
Meeker | 6,242 | 91 |
Mesa Verde | 7,070 | 148 |
Monte Vista | 7,665 | 97 |
Monument | 7,400 | 150 |
Norwood | 7,017 | 108 |
Pueblo | 4,639 | 158 |
Salida | 7,060 | 109 |
Steamboat Springs | 6,770 | 46 |
Trinidad | 6,030 | 152 |
Walsenburg | 6,221 | 148 |
From: The Western Regional Climate Center www.wrcc.dri.edu/summary/climsmco.html accessed 11-17-2006. |
The Brighter Side
Up to this point, Gardeners might want to throw up their hands and say,
Whats the use? But there is a brighter side. Colorados
many days of sunshine, while leading to some problems already mentioned,
enables Gardeners to grow some of the best flowers in the nation. The
high light intensity produces strong-stemmed plants and flowers with extra
brilliance.
Winter sunlight melts snows at lower elevations, reducing snow mold diseases
in lawns. The cool, crisp nights and warm days of summer produce healthy
lawns. These same climatic conditions enable the home Gardener to produce
excellent potatoes, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower and other
cool-season vegetables.
The lower humidity not only helps to make the cold days seem less cold
and hot days less hot, but discourages many landscape plant diseases that
are common in more humid areas. Perhaps the brightest side lies in the
challenging problems in growing plants. Gardeners who are patient, know
how to select plants that will do well, and manipulate the soil and microclimate,
will be amply rewarded.
Obtaining Help
Colorado State University Extension has county offices (www.ext.colostate.edu/cedirectory/allcounties2.cfm)
prepared to help with individual Gardening needs. They have a supply of
fact sheets similar to this one that can provide detailed information
on the selection and care of trees, shrubs, perennials, vegetables and
lawns. Go to www.ext.colostate.edu to view these fact sheets on the web.
To find your local Colorado State University Extension office in the white pages of the telephone book, look under the heading "Colorado State University" or under the county government listings.
1Colorado State University Extension landscape horticulturist and professor, department of horticulture and landscape architecture. Revised from original fact sheet authored by J.R. Feucht, retired. 12/96. Revised 1/07.
Colorado State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination. No endorsement of products mentioned is intended nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned.
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